Jumping In
by Imagination-Parade
Summary: Speculation for the Season 5 finale; Angela & Hodgins have a big announcment for their friends. Story also includes B&B pairing and all of the Jeffersonian interns; based on a minor spoiler, but not really spoiler-y


_Hey everyone! Hope you're all having a good day._

_So I imagine you've probably all heard the wedding spoiler for the finale. Hart & Stephen said that two regular characters (or, well, at least characters we've seen before) will be getting married in the season finale but they may bypass the actual ceremony, so we may not actually see the wedding. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but this is what I'd love to see happen. Based on the speculation I've been reading, I think a lot of people agree with me!_

_As always, Bones isn't mine, and please review!_

* * *

It was exactly eleven-oh-three on a Monday morning in May when Special Agent Seeley Booth wandered into the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab with two evidence bags in his hands. His partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan, chose that exact moment to wander out of her office and up onto the forensic platform, delicately holding a skull in her gloved hands. Jeffersonian intern Colin Fisher examined a set of fully skeletonized remains on the platform's autopsy table, while Dr. Cam Saroyan supervised. Booth swiped his card through the security mechanism and joined the squints on the platform.

"Oh, hi, Booth," Brennan said as she climbed up the stairs on the opposite side.

"Hey, Bones," Booth said, smiling widely at her. He turned to Cam. "Is Hodgins here?"

"Haven't seen him," Cam sighed. "Why?"

"I'm helping a buddy out with a drug case since we're between murder investigations," Booth said, holding up his evidence bags. "I need Hodgins to analyze some evidence."

"Has Angela arrived yet?" Brennan asked Cam.

"She is also still MIA," Cam said.

Brennan groaned. "I told her that identifying this limbo victim would be priority number one on Monday morning," she said.

"Wait – you haven't seen either Angela or Hodgins all morning?" Booth asked.

"No," Brennan said. "Why? Do you know where they are?"

Booth chuckled. "They left together on Friday to go out to dinner, so…I can guess."

"Maybe they're both lying in a ditch somewhere," Fisher mumbled, picking up one of the limbo victim's femurs. "This could be one of them, for all we know."

Brennan scrunched up her face in disdain. "No, Mr. Fisher. It's nearly impossible that their bodies would become completely skeletal within one weekend. Besides, this victim has been in the Jeffersonian bone storage since 2002."

Cam paused for a moment. "Right, because _that's_ the part of Fisher's statement that was very, very wrong."

"Hey, look, there they are," Booth said, pointing to the sliding glass doors as he moved to stand near Brennan.

Angela Montenegro and Jack Hodgins walked down the hallway and turned in to the Medico-Legal lab. They were talking animatedly with one another, both with huge smiles on their faces. They stopped talking when they neared the forensic platform. Angela swiped her card through security, bouncing up onto the platform with Jack right behind her.

"Morning, everyone," Angela smiled.

"Just barely. Where have you been?" Brennan asked, choosing to skip pleasantries.

"Yeah, you know, I like to think I'm a pretty easygoing boss, but two hours late with no call is kind of pushing it," Cam said.

"Why do you look so happy?" Booth asked.

Hodgins turned to Angela and lowered his voice. "Tell them."

"Are you sure?" Angela asked, matching his tone.

"Absolutely," Hodgins said.

"We could tell them together," Angela whispered.

"You've been dying to tell them all morning," Hodgins said. "Go ahead."

"Okay," Angela smiled, turning to face her friends again. She paused for a moment before announcing, "We got _married_!"

She giggled loudly and grabbed onto Hodgins's arm after her announcement as ecstatic looks graced both of their faces. Everyone else, however, did not look so excited. All four of their friends were seemingly frozen in place, with looks of varying degrees of surprise and astonishment crossing their faces. Brennan was finally the first to break the silence.

"Why?" she asked.

"_Why_?" Angela asked with a laugh.

"Yes…why?" Brennan asked.

"Wait…really?" Cam asked. "As in legally, legitimately married?"

"Yeah, we're serious," Hodgins said.

"Well…congratulations, man," Booth said, shaking Hodgins's hand.

"Thank you," Hodgins smiled as Booth hugged Angela.

"When did you guys get married?" Cam asked.

"Last night!" Angela giggled.

"Wow," Cam said. "That would explain the lateness."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Hodgins cringed.

"We tried to get here on time," Angela said. "But we woke up and rolled over in bed to face each other, and…"

"Did I say I needed a specific reason?" Cam asked.

"Yeah, we don't need details," Booth quickly agreed.

"I'm still confused," Brennan said. "You haven't been in a romantic relationship with one another in quite some time."

Booth nudged Brennan's arm in encouragement and whispered, "But you're happy for them anyway, right, Bones?"

"How can I have a joyful emotion towards the situation if I don't understand what's going on?" Brennan asked.

Angela held out her hand for Brennan. "Sweetie, let's go talk."

Brennan placed the skull onto a nearby table, grabbed Angela's hand, and let the artist lead her back to her office. Hodgins remained at the front of the platform, a goofy grin on his face. Booth and Cam exchanged an amused glance.

"_Last night_?" Booth asked.

"Yeah, I know," Hodgins said. "We sound insane."

"No," Booth said. "If you know, you know, right?"

"Right," Hodgins smiled. "Why wait?"

"So…shotgun wedding…does this mean I'm going to have to go back to threatening to throw cold water on you two?" Cam asked.

"Oh, I really hope so," Hodgins laughed.

"Excellent," Cam quipped.

"So…what about you, Fisher? Any comments?" Hodgins asked.

Fisher finally looked up from the bones he was working on. "I hope you got a pre-nup."

"What? Why?" Hodgins asked.

"You're a wealthy man. She's a hot, starving artist," Fisher said. "Do the math."

"She's hardly a _starving_ artist," Hodgins said.

"But she certainly hasn't been living in a mansion," Fisher mumbled.

"Don't listen to him, Hodgins," Cam said. "You know Angela's not after your money."

"Sure she is," Fisher said. "Isn't that what all women are after?"

"Okay, that's enough from you," Cam said.

Angela and Brennan walked into Brennan's office. Brennan sat down on her couch, while Angela sat across from her in a chair.

"_Married_, Angela?" Brennan asked. "Really?"

"Yes," Angela smiled, finally letting Brennan see the diamond ring sitting on her finger.

"But you broke up with Wendell just a month ago," the anthropologist pointed out.

Angela's smile faded and she nodded. "I know."

"Are you pregnant again?" Brennan asked.

"No," Angela laughed. "And I've never actually been pregnant. I just thought I…no, I'm not pregnant."

"Then what happened?" Brennan asked.

"He offered to marry me and help me with the baby when he thought I was pregnant with Wendell's child," Angela said. "I already knew Wendell wasn't the guy I should be having babies with. I knew that from the moment I saw the positive pregnancy test, but when Hodgins said those things…"

"But Ange, you tried this once," Brennan said. "It didn't work. Statistically…"

"I don't need to hear about statistics, Bren," Angela said. "I know this sounds crazy."

"What makes you think a marriage with Hodgins will work this time?" Brennan asked.

"Because it would've worked the first time," Angela said. "It's just…it's just right, sweetie. It just…is. I know you don't put a lot of stock in fate, but he & I are just…right."

"How did this happen?" Brennan asked.

"He asked me to dinner on Friday, as a strictly friends thing, but it didn't feel like a friends thing, and we ended up spending all of Friday night and most of Saturday just talking about our relationship and what went wrong and why we broke up and why he offered to help me raise another man's baby over a year _after_ we had broken up, and…" Angela started.

"You fell in love again?" Brennan asked with a smile.

"No, we realized that we were in love _still_, and I don't even know how it happened, but all of that talking and Saturday night's lovemaking turned into a joke about how we should just get married now because we knew it was going to happen eventually so dating again was just stupid, and then somehow…it wasn't a joke anymore and we were halfway to Atlantic City," Angela laughed.

"You eloped in Atlantic City?" Brennan laughed.

"We did, yeah," Angela giggled. "Just, like, fifteen hours ago. We got a room there and spent the night after the ceremony. We literally just got back to DC."

"What are you going to tell your father?" Brennan asked.

Angela's face fell again. "Oh my god…"

"He's not exactly Hodgins's biggest fan anymore," Brennan said.

"No," Angela sighed. "But he is the man who put my face on my husband's arm, so he better be okay with this."

"Wow," Brennan said with a smile. "Hodgins is your husband."

Angela grinned again. "Hodgins is my husband."

Angela and Brennan walked out of Brennan's office and rejoined the group just as Hodgins was telling everyone about how he and Angela had ended up in Atlantic City. Angela slipped back into his open arms and smiled as he pulled her into a hug and kissed his cheek.

"You guys good?" Hodgins asked. Angela nodded.

"So, since we did this whole wedding thing spur-of-the-moment, we're having a party, a reception, if you will, at Hodgins's place," Angela started.

"Our place," Hodgins said.

Angela smiled. "Right…our place…wow," she laughed. "Anyway, the party's on Friday night, and you're all invited."

"Even me?" Fisher asked.

"Are you going to be nice?" Hodgins asked.

"I can't make any promises," Fisher said.

"He hasn't been nice?" Angela asked.

"He told me I needed a pre-nup because you're just a gold-digging artist," Hodgins said.

Angela's mouth dropped open as Brennan tilted her head in consideration.

"I don't know what a gold-digger is, but a pre-nup might not have been such a bad idea, considering the amount of money Hodgins has to his name," Brennan said.

"_Brennan_," Angela said.

"Fisher's insinuating that Angela just married Hodgins for his money, Bones," Booth whispered to her.

"Well, that is obviously incorrect, but from a financial standpoint, pre-nuptial agreements are used to protect one's assets, and Hodgins has a lot of those," Brennan said. "I wouldn't get married without one."

"You wouldn't?" Booth asked.

"No. It's not rational," Brennan said.

"There wasn't really time for a pre-nup, but I feel pretty okay without one," Hodgins said. He looked to Booth, Brennan, and Cam. "So…can you guys do Friday?"

"Yeah, we'll be there," Booth said as Brennan and Cam nodded.

"Did we settle the question of my being invited?" Fisher asked.

"You're invited," Angela said, glaring at him. "But you have to be nice. This is going to be a happy party."

"I can't make any promises," Fisher repeated.

"Go home," Cam said to Angela and Hodgins.

"What?" Hodgins asked.

"You got married last night," Cam said. "Go. Take the day off. We'll see you in the morning." Angela and Hodgins shared a look.

"Thanks, Cam," Angela smiled.

"See you in the morning," Hodgins repeated, grabbing Angela's hand. They walked out of the Jeffersonian, and Brennan walked over to the limbo remains.

"I really did need her to identify this victim," Brennan sighed.

"And I really did need these analyzed," Booth said, holding up the evidence bags he walked in with.

"Sorry," Cam cringed. "It felt like the right thing to do."

*********

Dr. Lance Sweets walked into the Royal Diner just after noon to grab a quick lunch before heading back to his office for a one o'clock meeting. His attention was immediately directed to the artist and the entomologist sitting next to each other at a table by the window. The fact that two members of the Jeffersonian team were also at the diner for lunch didn't strike Sweets as odd, and he didn't even pay much notice to the fact that they were sitting side-by-side instead of across from one another. What did draw his attention, however, was the fact that Hodgins was lovingly caressing Angela's hand as she gazed at him with affection and admiration. He approached the counter, took a seat, and gave the waitress his order, glancing over his shoulder to look at his friends again. Dr. Sweets nearly fell off of the small bar stool when he saw that the pair had moved on from hand caressing and were now locking lips. He regained his balance and headed over to their table as they pulled away and shared another smile.

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order," Sweets said. "You've found your way back to each other."

"Oh, that we have," Angela smiled, running her fingers through Hodgins's hair so that the diamond on her hand would glisten in the sunlight that was pouring in through the window.

"Whoa, you're engaged?" Sweets asked.

"Better," Hodgins said. "We're married. That's her old engagement ring."

Sweets took a seat across from them, a look of wonder on his face. "Married? Wow, I guess congratulations really are in order. How long have the two of you been back together?"

"About a day and a half," Angela sighed. Sweets laughed in disbelief. "Don't judge."

"No, no judging, just…wow," Sweets said.

"We're having a reception Friday night at our place," Hodgins said. "You're more than welcome to come."

"Yeah, come," Angela said.

"When was the ceremony?" Sweets asked.

"We eloped in Atlantic City last night," Hodgins said.

"Atlantic…wow," Sweets laughed, still at a loss for words.

"Lance!" the waitress called, holding up a brown paper bag full of his lunch.

"Okay, so I have to go, but we should talk about this," Sweets said. "Do you have any free time later…maybe around three?"

"That won't be necessary, Sweets," Angela said.

"Of course you're busy later; you just got married," Sweets mumbled. "Well, how about tomorrow? We could, you know, talk over lunch?"

"That won't be necessary, Sweets," Hodgins said.

"Are you sure because…most people don't elope a _day_ after they decide to give their relationship another try," Sweets said. He looked towards Angela. "Especially not after one of them just got out of a different relationship."

"Who said we were ever like most people?" Hodgins asked.

"We're happy, Sweets. Leave it alone," Angela said.

"Well, yeah, of course you're happy now, but what happens when…" Sweets started.

"No," Angela said. "We're happy."

"Happiness is usually what initially results from reconciliation, but you need to examine why the relationship failed in the first place and…" Sweets began.

"Make him stop," Angela whispered to Hodgins.

Hodgins stood up and began pushing the young psychologist towards the door. Hodgins spoke loudly to overpower Sweets's protesting and said, "Goodbye, Sweets! We'll see you and Daisy Friday night."

**********

On Friday night, the Hodgins mansion was overflowing with people, including all of the Jeffersonian's interns and several people from the FBI. Hodgins and Angela stood by the outside entrance to the back patio, where the party was being held, greeting the guests as they arrived. Just inside the fence stood a large photo of Hodgins and Angela kissing in front of the Elvis impersonator that had married them in Atlantic City. On this Friday night, Angela wore a short white floral dress, while Hodgins wore dark jeans and a red shirt. Clark Edison and his girlfriend arrived just after they finished welcoming Cam and Arastoo to the party.

"Clark!" Angela said, pulling him into a hug. "You came!"

Clark stiffened as Angela hugged him. "Yes, I can't tell you how overjoyed I was to hear that you got married."

"I still think I could just eat you up," Angela teased.

Clark's face fell and he shook Hodgins's hand. "Good luck with her."

Hodgins and Angela laughed as Clark grabbed his girl's hand and pulled her into the party. Sweets and Daisy arrived next. Before Angela or Hodgins could get a word in, Daisy squealed and pulled Hodgins, the one closest to her, into a big hug.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so happy for you two!" Daisy squealed, releasing Hodgins to hug Angela. "Running away to get married is just _so_ romantic! Don't you think so, Lancelot?"

"No," Sweets said. "You know what I think is romantic? Waiting…to be sure the relationship will work out before taking such a big step." Angela glared at him.

"Don't listen to him," Daisy said, placing her hands over her heart. "I think it's _so_ sweet that you just didn't want to wait any longer than you had to to be married to each other."

"Thank you," Angela smiled. "We'll see you inside, okay?"

"Okay, bye!" Daisy said as she and Sweets entered the party.

"Why did we invite them?" Hodgins asked. "The interns…why did we do that?"

Angela laughed. "Hey, you enjoyed me picking on Clark as much as I did."

"Yeah, that was fun," Hodgins agreed. He looked down the walkway. "Oh God, Wendell's coming."

"Oh, awkward…very awkward," Angela said. "I didn't think he'd show up."

"Well, he did…" Hodgins muttered.

"I'll go talk to him," Angela said.

She took a few steps forward and motioned for Wendell to step to the side so they could talk. She met him under a tree, just a few feet away from Hodgins.

"Hey," Angela said.

"Hey," Wendell said. "You look beautiful…very bridal."

"Yeah, well, I don't have a wedding dress or flowers, so I thought I'd just kill two birds with one stone, you know?" Angela said, uncomfortably laughing.

"It's okay, Angela," Wendell laughed. "This doesn't have to be weird."

"It doesn't?" she asked.

"No," he said. "Our breakup was mutual, and Hodgins is a great guy. If he makes you happy, then I'm happy for you."

"Really?" Angela asked.

"Yeah," Wendell said. "And I'm moving on, too. I decided to bring a date."

"You did?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, I just told her to hang back there for a bit so I could talk to you," Wendell laughed. Angela laughed.

"You're a great guy, too, Wendell," Angela said, giving him a hug. "Thank you for coming. I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," he said. He made a gesture with his head, and a girl with long brown hair joined him. He introduced her to Angela, then walked over to Hodgins and shook his hand. "Congratulations, man."

"Thanks, Wendell," Hodgins said, a little surprised.

Vincent Nigel-Murray showed up just as Wendell entered the party. He strolled up to Angela and Hodgins and peered into the party as he arrived.

"Wow, was that Wendell?" he asked. "Didn't expect to see him here."

"Glad you could make it, Vinnie," Hodgins said.

"Yes, well, I wouldn't miss it, congratulations," Mr. Nigel-Murray said. "Did you know that thirty-five percent of all first marriages are elopements?"

"No, I didn't know that," Angela said, choosing not to tell the young intern that her marriage to Hodgins wasn't exactly her first marriage. "Did you know that?"

"You learn something new every day," Hodgins said.

"Thank you," Angela said.

"Well, cheers," Nigel-Murray said, walking onto the back patio.

Hodgins and Angela exchanged another look.

"They really do seem weirder and weirder when they're all together, don't they?" Hodgins asked.

"Hey, at least Fisher hasn't shown up to rain on our parade yet, and oh…there he is…" Angela said, putting on a smile and waving at their newest arrival, who was clad entirely in black. "Let the fun begin…"

After a few toasts, a few kisses, and the cutting of the cake, Angela had the DJ begin playing music again. Staying true to her rock 'n' roll upbringing, Angela had the DJ play classic rock favorites, as well as a bunch of current hits, at a much louder volume than was necessary for the backyard shindig. Booth wandered through the crowd of dancing people, carrying two glasses of champagne, looking for his partner. He finally found her standing near the back of the crowd. She was leaning against the wall of the mansion in a black strapless cocktail dress with a bright red sash tied around the waist and her hair tied back in a simple low ponytail. She was focused intently on Angela and Hodgins, who were in the middle of the dancers, wrapped up in one another's arms, alternating between laughing and kissing. Booth walked up besides Brennan and held out one of the glasses.

"What are you thinking about?" Booth asked in a loud voice so she would hear him over the music. Brennan jumped, startled by his voice.

"How do you know I'm thinking about something?" Brennan asked just as loudly.

"Besides the fact that you nearly jumped out of your skin?" he asked.

"It's physically impossible for one to jump out of one's skin," she said. Booth smiled at her. She laughed. "You were being metaphorical."

"Yeah," he said, leaning in close to her so he wouldn't have to yell. "And you were deep in observation mode a few seconds ago, so…care to share?"

"The decision Angela and Hodgins made last weekend was extremely rash," Brennan said, leaning towards him as well. "But…they look extraordinarily happy."

"Yeah," Booth agreed. "They do."

"Though, actually, I can't seem to decide whether their speedy marriage was more logical or illogical."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, society says that…" Brennan began.

Booth cut her off. "I can't really hear you," he said. "Come here."

Booth grabbed Brennan's arm and led her into the house away from the loud, pulsing music. The spacious dining room was just inside the patio doors, and Booth led her through the house until they reached one of the many staircases. Booth sat down on one of the steps, leaning against the staircase railing, and pulled Brennan down onto the step with him before letting go of her arm. She took a sip of her champagne.

"Better?" she asked in a normal tone.

"Definitely," he said in his normal voice. "You were saying?"

"Society tells us that their actions were illogical, that a long courtship is necessary before one can decide that a relationship will stand the test of time and continue to be successful. Their decision seems illogical because, even though they've been together before, they only resumed their relationship a week ago," Brennan said. "But, at the same time, why go through a second round of dating when you know you'll end up at the altar?"

"Wouldn't that fall under the category of going with your gut?" he asked in a teasing tone of voice.

"What? No, they didn't go with their guts. They spent two days evaluating their relationship with one another and thinking through why the first attempt wasn't successful before they proceeded with the marriage. One could say that they made a calculated and sensible decision," Brennan said. "They tried to get married years ago. They didn't think they needed to wait any longer."

"And you think that's reasonable?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "If you've thought something through, fully processed the situation, and considered the consequences, I see no problem with jumping in to something you think is right."

"Really?" he asked. "You would do what they did?"

"Well, I don't know if I'd get _married_ because you know how I feel about that, but I can think of a few scenarios where jumping right into something doesn't sound so crazy," she said.

"Oh yeah?" he challenged. "Like what?"

Before he knew what was happening, Brennan's lips were pressing against his in a gentle kiss. He faltered for a moment before pushing himself off of the railing and wrapping an arm around her waist, returning her kiss. She pulled away after only a few moments of their lips moving together and looked at him with a face filled with uncertainty.

"Like that," she muttered.

"Like that," he repeated, mumbling. "That was a, uh…that was a good answer."

"Yeah?" she asked, leaning in to brush her lips against his again.

"Bones," he said, gently pushing her back after their second kiss. "Hey…not that I'm not enjoying this, but…what are we doing?"

She smiled a wicked smile at him, her blue eyes sparkling with love and mischief before she said, "We're learning from Angela and Hodgins. We're jumping in."

They came together again, slowly but passionately kissing, savoring the new sensations of their lips moving against each other's. After several kisses, Booth reached out and pulled Brennan closer to him, so her legs were draped across his lap. Just when their kisses began to deepen, the rapid clicking of high heels caused them to wrench apart as someone approached.

"Oh!" Angela called as she found Booth and Brennan on the stairs. "You scared me. I didn't think anyone was in here."

"Yeah, we didn't think anyone was in here, either," Booth muttered.

It was then that Angela noticed their close proximity to one another, with Brennan practically sitting in Booth's lap, Brennan's slightly out-of-place hair, and their unmistakably kiss-swollen lips. She gasped.

"You were kissing!" she said with a smile. "Is that my wedding present?"

"We were supposed to get you a present?" Brennan asked.

"What are you doing here?" Booth asked.

"Hey, G-man, this is _my_ house," Angela said. "But if you must know, I was going upstairs to get my lipstick. Hodgins kissed it all off."

"How did you know we were making out?" Brennan said.

"_Bones_!" Booth said.

"What?" Brennan asked.

"She didn't know that until you just confirmed it," he said.

"Well, we were. I see no reason to hide that fact," Brennan said.

"Oh, yes, I did know," Angela said. She pointed at Brennan. "You, sweetie, have looked thoroughly kissed since the moment I walked in here. Good job, Agent Booth."

"Oh, jeez," Booth muttered. "This giant house and you had to find the _one_ staircase we were sitting on."

Angela stepped around an embarrassed Booth and an amused Brennan to head up the stairs for her lipstick. "Don't mind me…carry on," she said.

Booth and Brennan looked at one another as Angela disappeared onto the second floor. They shared a smile and a laugh, as Booth leaned his head against Brennan's forehead. They stayed like that for a few moments before tilting their heads for another kiss. Just as their lips were about to touch, Angela came scurrying back down the stairs.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed. "Ignore me…I'm not here."

"You have wonderful timing," Brennan said sarcastically.

Angela turned a corner to go back to her party. Just as Booth and Brennan began kissing again, they heard Angela cry, "Jack! This party is _so much better_ than our first wedding!"

_

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Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!


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